


Sorry

by PhantomSpade



Category: Zanki Zero: Last Beginning (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternative Universe - No Island, Apologies, Brother-Sister Relationships, Head Injury, Hurt/Comfort, Major Character Injury, One Shot, Other, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-27
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2020-07-23 08:54:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20005621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhantomSpade/pseuds/PhantomSpade
Summary: Minamo has barely survived her attack from the delinquents thanks to unbelievable luck. Hiroki decides to stop running away and make amends for his part.AU Where the End didn't happen.





	Sorry

**Author's Note:**

> Zanki Zero: The Last Beginning (c) Spike Chunsoft

It hurts. 

Minamo feels like her head is screaming in agony, no doubt from the hit she has taken from one of those pack of thugs. Even if she is going to make it, she'll likely have more than a bad migraine. Her dad is definitely going to lose it if he hears about it. 

In the midst of her pain-ridden daze, humiliation courses through her mind despite how inappropriate is it in her situation. This isn't supposed to happen. 

' _I'ma...officer fer...goodness sake..._ '

She feels her head lolling back, then something wet rolling down from her temple where she got hit. If she doesn't get medical attention, her father and Hiroki will-

' _Hiro_ _...ki..._ ' 

Just a few seconds ago, the image of her brother's terrified expression has froze in her mind like a photo. She is able to detect the guilt in his eyes as he watches her get beaten to death by one of his "friends". Then after she starts losing consciousness, she barely hears the sound of sirens blaring outside and many people screaming. 

_'Huh...who called the...cops...?_ ' 

There is a smell of smoke filling up her nostrils, but she doesn't have time to ponder about the strangeness of it. She feels herself getting hoisted up onto someone rather small and carried out. She tries to see who it is, but her vision is blurring. She doesn't have much time left. 

' _Where's...Hiroki? I...._ ' 

She feels herself being lifted off the person and onto something soft yet firm, likely a cot. She hears multiple voices, but she is already getting close to passing out as she couldn't comprehend their words. They sound disjointed and faint. 

"Too......los...bloo...need...!" 

"Vitals...sta....mu...head...." 

"Ca....fam....get...!" 

' _What are they sayin'? I...can't...hear...them..._ ' 

Minamo just wants her father and brother to be with her. She can't die on them now, not like her mother before her. She still has a full life ahead of her, and she intends to continue her work as a police officer. 

That is if she will live.

* * *

Minamo wakes up to a dimly lit ceiling above her, glad that the lights aren't so bright for her eyes.

' _What time is it? How long have I been sleepin'?_ ' 

The brunette lifts her head up, feeling it groan in pain from her efforts. She looks down, her mind immediately registering that she is in a bed and no longer in her uniform, instead in a long blue gown. 

"Good morning, Minamo." 

Gasping, Minamo almost whips her head up. Of course, she quickly refrains from doing so and does in slowly and carefully. 

Her father sits besides her in a flimsy plastic chair, arms folded across his chest as he looks at her with a strained smile and eyes screaming in relief. There are light purple bags under his eyes, a sign that he hasn't been sleeping well. 

' _You must've been worried sick, were ya?_ ' 

"Dad..." 

Her voice is hoarse and strained, sounding like she has been asleep for weeks. Likely because she was before.

The older man reaches for her hand, letting her grasp him in a soft hold. How she has missed the callous feel of his palm, the faint cuts from the years of making his famous bento boxes. 

"So glad that you're awake now, Minamo. We were all worried you. Everyone back at the station, our neighbors...heck, I've been working myself to the bone while waiting for you! I'm really glad you made it..." 

The older Setouchi leans himself over the bed as he places his head in Minamo's lap, still holding his daughter's hand as he sobs silently. Minamo carefully sits herself up and looks sadly down at her dad. 

She forces herself to tear her eyes away as she looks to the side and sees a small table placed next to her. It is completely covered in colorful cards surrounding a vase containing white daisies. She sees one opened towards her with a scrawled out message: ' _Please get better, Setouchi-san! We'll be waiting!-Kiyota Masaru._ ' 

She chuckles under her breath, a small smile making its way on her face. ' _I gotta go thank them soon..._ ' 

"How long have I been out?" Minamo blurts out her question from her thoughts. She is anxious to know how much time has passed and what happened after the incident. 

' _What happened to my little brother?_ ' 

Her father lifts himself off of Minamo, quickly rubbing his face in case of tears. After composing himself, he breathes sharply and looks at his daughter with exhausted worry, sending a sliver of guilt in Minamo's gut. 

"Two weeks, Minamo. You've been in a coma for two long, hard weeks." 

Minamo looks away from her father, focusing her gaze on the ceiling as if it will cave in on her. Two weeks feels more like two months at least. Even after just waking up, she still feels rather tired. She is also extremely confused about her miraculous survival.

"How did I get here? How did they find me?" She asks. 

The brunette recalls that the punks had taken her into an abandoned building where no one would find her. It was also dark at the time, so she is sure that no one else was up and about during that time. 

' _Who could have found me before I..._ '

"A fire broke out of the clothing building. One of our neighbors called the fire department and that was when they found you." 

In shock, Minamo nearly launches herself out of the bed, though her dad quickly puts a hand on her to keep her from jumping out. She is in disbelief at the information, finding it rather insane and unlikely. 

"A-A fire? How-?" 

Her dad, sensing her confusion, is quick to provide her an explanation. "Apparently, one of those high school kids had a lighter and accidentally dropped it and set some things on fire."

' _A lighter? Come to think of it, I remember that those kids did underage smoking...Speaking of them..._ '

"Where are those kids? Did they...make it out of the building?" She asks slowly, feeling a slight dread in her chest. They did terrible things and almost killed her, but she doesn't think they deserve being burned to death. But most of all, she hopes that it didn't include her baby brother. 

The elder Setouchi gives her a reassuring look. "Yes, they did. They got arrested for committing arson and," he pauses with a small look of grimance, his hands clenching into fists to keep himself steady. "And...attempted murder on a police officer." 

Minamo nods slowly in grim understanding, clenching and unclenching her hands. She doesn't doubt that those kids were severely punished for their crimes. Of course, there is a chance their families have bailed them out, but Minamo hopes that she'll get the full report later, feeling too tired to ask her father. 

Of course, there is one other matter that sits heavily in her chest. 

' _Hiroki..._ ' 

She looks at her father tentively, asking in a slow yet weary voice. "Where's...Hiroki?"

The older man slowly rubs her arm in a comforting manner, flashing her a small yet reassuring smile that gives her hope. 

"He's alright, Minamo. He had to stay in the hospital for a few days because he accidentally inhaled some smoke after pulling you out of there. He's actually here, in the waiting room downstairs." 

Minamo releases a breath that she has been holding, relief coming down on her like the sun shining through a storm. Then tears started gathering in her eyes as she suppresses a sob, yet she is smiling wide and hard. 

' _Hiroki's alive. Both of us are alive. He saved us from death...We're alright..._ ' 

"I've already texted him to come up. I also sent a notification to your officer friends, so they'll be arriving soon." 

Without thinking, Minamo leans over to her dad and wraps her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. The older man doesn't hesitate to return the gesture, wrapping around her and keeping her close like treasure. Both of them want to cry out of relief, to express their elation of Minamo's survival. But they remain quiet and let the silence comfort them. 

' _I wanna go home. I wanna be with my dad and little brother._ ' 

They spend the next few minutes hugging each other, silent sobs slowly dying down as they let their embrace give them warmth and reassurance of each other's presence. Minamo can't recall the last time she has cried, being the strong and cheerful person she usually is. She hardly ever cries in her life. It is one of the things she prided herself on. 

Pride. The one emotion that nearly costed her life. Minamo has hardly ever felt regret for what she does, as she believed that she was always doing the right thing. But now, for the first time in her life, she is doubting herself.

' _Did Mom had regrets before she died? I got so caught up with believing what's right and wrong...I grown a big head and that got me in trouble. Almost like Mom..._ '

Slowly yet reluctantly, Minamo pulls herself away from her dad's warm embrace, letting out a deep sigh. Her father looks confused but doesn't object, sensing her need to say something. 

"Dad....You were right." 

Mr. Setouchi quirks up an eyebrow at her sudden statement, not understanding what she means. "What do you mean?" 

Minamo sighs and folds her hands over her lap, now looking uncharastically downcast. A part of her feels reluctant to admit her overconfidence, preferring to try and justify what happened. But another part of her tells her that it is better to acknowledge her mistakes. 

"What ya said the other day. Ya said that I shouldn't get too involved in a lotta things. An' that pride an' arrogance would get me into trouble. And well..." 

Minamo looks away from her father, shame making its way on her face as she trails off, knowing that she doesn't need to finish her sentence to know that her father understands. 

' _Look where it got me._ '

After a few seconds of silence, Minamo hears a sigh from her father, prompting her to look back at him. His expression is now soft and tender, just like how he usually is when he isn't being stern or upbeat like his daughter.

"...Minamo. I just want you to be safe. I won't tell you to quit your job, but I do want you to not overestimate yourself like your mother. You...You do a good job. Just promise me for real that you will be more careful." 

Just then, a door opens from the other side of the room. Curious, Minamo pulls back from her dad to see who her visitor is. There are two people standing in the doorway: one is a young man with short purple hair and wearing scrubs, letting her know that he is a doctor. The other person almost huddling beside the man is the one person Minamo wanted to see. 

"Hiroki..." 

Said boy brings himself into view, his stance nervous as he stares at his sister with anticipation, looking unsure whether to approach her or not. Although he is tremendously happy that his sister is alive, a part of him feels guilty for being the reason she almost died. 

"Big Sis..." 

' _You're okay. You're okay, Hiroki._ ' 

The doctor clears his throat before sending a polite smile towards Minamo and her father. "Good morning, Setouchi-san. I am Dr. Murano. I am glad to see that you've woke up from your coma." 

Minamo snaps her attention to Dr. Murano and bows her head at him, her father doing the same beside her. 

"Thank you for savin' me, Doctor. I thought I was gonna die right away back there..." Minamo trails off, looking at the man with gratitude for his part of saving her. 

Dr. Murano chuckles halfheartedly. "Oh, it's alright. But your brother here was the one who brought you out of the fire. He was a hero." 

He pats a hand on the boy's head, who blushes and directs his stare towards the floor, now avoiding looking at his sister. Minamo can't tell if he is embarrassed or unaccepting of the compliment. 

"Also," the doctor continues, "You did experience head trauma, but fortunately, the blunt force wasn't directed towards your cranium. The chances of survival were quite low, but it was a miracle that you pulled through." 

Minamo brings a hand up to her head and touches the bandage that is wrapped around her head, something that she didn't register until now. 

' _Hope that doesn't leave any serious scars...._ '

Mr. Setouchi stands up from his seat and walks around the bed, going towards Dr. Murano and Hiroki. He pats his son's head before gently pushing him towards Minamo. 

"I'll let you two be. I'm going to speak with Dr. Murano in private." He says, pointing his head towards the smiling doctor. 

A thought crosses the brunette's mind, making her lean forward in concern. ' _Hang on!_ ' 

"Wait Dad, what about the cost-?" 

"Don't worry about it, Minamo. It'll all be taken care of, okay?" 

With a quick wave, Mr. Setouchi closes the door behind him and Dr. Murano, leaving his children alone together in the slightly barren room. 

An awkward silence hangs around the siblings, neither of them making eye contact nor daring to speak as if they don't want to break the tension between them. Minamo herself is at a loss, not knowing what she wants to say to her brother as she is feeling many different emotions towards him. She doesn't who to blame for the incident they were in or if she should even blame at all. 

' _What am I supposed to say? I'm happy that he's alive, but I don't know if I'm also mad at him. Should I just be my usual self and be all smiles for him?_ '

When she peeks her head up to sneak a glance at her brother, she notices red rings circling his eyes. She frowns sadly at this, realizing that he has been through a stressful time from the incident. 

' _Maybe I should..._ '

"Hiroki...I know that we need to talk 'bout this. But since I just woke up and it must've been a tough two weeks for ya and Dad, I won't-" 

"Big Sis, I'm sorry." 

Minamo is almost caught off by the sudden declaration that cut her off, the tension in the air now starting to break. Before she can realize it, Hiroki practically leaps up from his seat and squeezes her into a hug. She feels wetness on her shoulder, soon followed the the hushed sounds of crying. She feels her heart breaking as she puts a hand on her brother's back and rub soothing circles into his shirt.

"I-I'm sorry, Sis! I-I'm so sorry! I d-didn't trust y-you, I-I was a-a big coward, I-I- _hic_ -I almost got you k-killed! I-I'm such a h-horrible b-brother to you!" 

Hiroki sobs out numerous apologies, tears flowing down his cheeks as he pours out his guilt and shame to his beloved sister. He has spent two weeks blaming himself for getting his sister in trouble, for getting involved with the punks, for not getting himself out sooner, for not trusting his sister enough. 

He feels ashamed of himself. 

' _Please Hiroki...it wasn't really your fault. Please don't cry..._ ' 

Minamo continues to try and comfort her crying brother, resisting the urge to cry with him despite feeling emotional herself. 

"Shh shh, Hiroki...It's okay. I'm here, I'm fine. I ain't goin' anywhere..." 

Of course, Hiroki just sobs harder and hugs her tighter, afraid of letting her go. 

"I-I told D-Dad the t-truth. I-I told him e-everything. H-He g-grounded me, b-but he w-wasn't very m- _hic_ -mad at m-me. I-I deserve b-being p-punished, Big Sis...I...I want to-want to m-make up with you!" 

Minamo's heart continues to clench at his words. She feels sad that Hiroki has been blaming himself for her near death, even though to her, he has little fault in what happened. 

' _You were just scared, Hiroki. Yer still a good kid, just like what I said earlier. This is...I can't really think straight right now..._ '

With a soft sigh, Minamo decides that their conversation will have to wait. Having just woke up from a small coma after a stressful event, the two of them need time to calm down and work everything out. 

Minamo quietly resumes massaging her brother's back, becoming relieved as his crying is starting to fade. She figures that he has emotionally exhausted himself and needs time to rest. Something that she also needs. 

She hopes that they can still patch things up together. 

' _Hiroki...I'm sorry too._ '


End file.
